The Fight
by marije2410
Summary: McGee gets shot and must fight for his life, while the team tries to find whoever did this to him. When they get closer and closer, the whole team is in danger... McGee and Gibbs whump! No pairings, usual disclaimer.
1. The shot

Disclaimer: Sadly enough I don't own NCIS or the characters, I just borrowed them.  
Summary: McGee gets shot and must fight for his life while the team tries to find out who did this to him.  
A/N: This is my first fanfic, and English is not my first language. So if anything is OOC or bugging you, please tell me so I can change it ;)

Chapter One:

Gibbs could hear their voices the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

"Cut it out, Tony! We all have paperwork to do, including you. So stop fooling around and start earning your money!"

"Oh boy, our Mossad ninja has lost her nerves. We better look for cover very quickly, Probie!"

"I'm not the one who's been annoying her for the last hour Tony, so I'm not the one who has to look for cover."  
Gibbs decided he had heard enough and stepped into the squad room. "DiNozzo! Already finished that report?"

"Working on that, boss. You see, Ziva has been distracting me, so..."

"I distracting you?"

"Well yeah, if you hadn't..."

Tony never finished his sentence, because he suddenly got smacked on the back of his head.

"I'm gonna finish that report now, boss."  
Gibbs could barely hide his smile while he said: "Yeah, I'd do that if I were you, DiNozzo."

"Boss!"

"What, McGee?"

"About that encrypted file, on the laptop next to Lieutenant Coopers body? I think I managed to crack it."

"You think?"

"Actually, it's a bit complicated. The encryption of the file was linked to another file that may have triggered..."

McGee stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw the look on Gibbs' face.

"I mean, yes I've cracked it."

"So?"

Gibbs got really annoyed when he saw that the young agent didn't understand what he meant.

"What was in it, McGee?"

"Just long series of numbers. It doesn't make much sense yet, but I'm still working on the meaning."

"Ask Abby if she'll help you."

McGee nodded, took the laptop en headed towards the elevator. Gibbs went to his desk and was about to sit down when Tony made him jump by shouting "Done!"

"Well, that was about time DiNozzo," Gibbs said while he watched his Senior Field Agent place a pile of paper on his desk.

"I'm done too," Ziva said. She took a look hat her watch and turned to Tony: "It's time for our lunch with Abby and McGee. And it's your turn to pay!"

"Oh, right!" Tony turned to Gibbs and said: "Abby wanted me to ask ya to come with us, boss. I told her you'd probably say no, but she insisted and you know how Abby can be when she..." He became silent as Gibbs walked to his desk, and he shut his eyes, fearing another smack on the back of his head.

"You're paying, DiNozzo?"

"Yeah..."

"Sure, I'll come."

"Oh," Tony said surprised. "Okay, I mean, Abby will be really happy. I mean, we too, of course. I didn't mean to... You know what I mean!"

Gibbs smiled and walked to the elevator with Tony and Ziva.

--NCIS--

As they sat on the terrace, Tim looked around him and for a moment his life felt perfect. He had a great job – sure, they saw some terrible things and it could be really dangerous, but at the end of the day he had the feeling that he'd done something to make the world a better place. He also knew he was useful to the team, that he was able to do things they couldn't; if Gibbs would try to hack the CIA they would all get a good laugh, but nothing more than that. And then, of course, there was the team he was doing his job with. It was strange, but they felt more like family than his actual blood relatives. Gibbs was the father figure. Jenny played the mother. Tony and Ziva were the twins, always bullying each other and him, the younger brother. Ducky was the uncle and Autopsy Gremlin Palmer his son. And then there was Abby. Abby, always ready with a hug or a brilliant way to solve a case. Abby, who spent the night with him in one coffin. Abby...

There was absolutely nothing that could ruin his day.

Then he saw the man with the long black coat and a gun, pointing at him. 'Such a cliché,' he managed to think somehow. The gun went off twice and Tim fell on the ground before he even realised he was hit. The pain he felt was incredible, overwhelming. So when everything went dark, he didn't try to fight it.


	2. The fight

A/N: Thanks for the reviews :D I also owe special thanks to the characters, who bravely accept the fate I figured out for them. Next chapter's gonna take a while, cause I'm going on a holiday for a week.

Chapter 2

Gibbs never even saw the guy that shot his agent. When he heard the shots, his hand immediately went to his Sig Sauer. But when he saw that Tony and Ziva were already chasing the shooter, he fell on the ground next to McGee and felt for a pulse. He was relieved to find one, although it was very weak. He put pressure on both wounds with one hand while he used the other on to grab his cell phone and call an ambulance. 'Multitasking,' he thought. 'Never been one of my best skills.'

"Come on, Tim," he whispered. "Fight!"

He tried to get his youngest agent conscious, but failed. He tapped him on top of his head, and finally McGee opened his eyes.

"Boss," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I... messed up..."

"It's okay, Tim. You're gonna be alright."

"'M tired," McGee said and closed his eyes.

"You gotta stay with me, Tim. C'me on, look at me!"

But he didn't open his eyes and his pulse was getting weaker.

"Come on, Tim!" Gibbs shouted. "Don't you die on me! Don't you dare to die on me!"

Where was that damn ambulance?

--NCIS--

Ziva was running as fast as she could to catch up on the shooter. She couldn't get the image of McGee lying in a pool of blood out of her head. So she just ran, away from him.

"Ziva!" she heard from behind. It was Tony.

"He is going to the parking garage!" she shouted while she ran even faster. She knew they would never be there in time, but maybe they would be able to see the license plate of his car.

"There he goes!" Tony yelled. Ziva just nodded, sparing her breath. The shooter, a big man with a long black coat, jumped in a black SUV.

"Can you see the license plate?" Ziva asked while she grabbed her gun.

"It starts with MP, and then... It's too far away, I can't read anymore of it."

The car drove away. Ziva fired a few shots, but knew it wouldn't help. He was gone.

"Damn!" they both cursed at the same time.

--NCIS--

Tony went back to the terrace as fast as he could, with Ziva just ahead of him. By the time they got there, two paramedics were trying to get McGee on a gurney. He almost missed Gibbs' question: "What ya got?"

He answered mechanically: "One shooter. Driving a black SUV, license plate starts with MP."

"Put out a BOLO."

Tony didn't react. He just stared at the ambulance that was heading for the hospital.

"Tony!" Gibbs said.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Tony asked with a soft voice.

"He's lost a lot of blood. They don't know if he'll survive the way to the hospital. They just don't know, Tony, I'm sorry."

That brought him back on earth. Gibbs never ever apologised, especially not when something wasn't his fault, like this time. He just nodded his head and started working on the BOLO, suddenly desperate to find the guy that'd hurt his Probie.

--NCIS--

All the time Abby just sat in her chair, unable to move. Tim, her Tim, was wounded. Everyone in the team had been dying once or more times, except Tim. She just couldn't except the fact that he might never talk to her again. Ridiculous as it may sound, she figured that if she just didn't move, didn't change anything, everything would go back to normal and Tim wouldn't have two bullet holes in his body.

"Abbs," Gibbs said. "You okay?"

She didn't trust her voice, so she just shook her head. He pulled her in a hug and whispered in her ear: "He's a fighter. And he cares to much about you to just leave us like this. He'll make it through."

Then the tears came. "How do you know, Gibbs? How could you possibly know?"

He gave her a sad smile. "My gut."

He took her to his car and they followed the ambulance.

--NCIS--

Ducky drove to Bethesda as fast as he could in his Morgan with his young assistant next to him. The message he got from Gibbs still sounded in his head.

"McGee is shot. He's lost a lot of blood. They're taking him to Bethesda. Meet me there."

He still didn't get it. They just went for a lunch, what danger could they face then? He knew Jethro would be devastated and most likely blaming himself, even though it wasn't his fault. It would take Ducky a lot of effort to talk that out of his mind. Then he thought about Timothy, the youngest agent on Team Gibbs. Always polite, brilliant with computers and extremely loyal. He had one hell of a fight to come. Ducky could just pray everything would be alright.

--NCIS--

Everything around Tim seemed to be blue. A large animal came towards him. At first he thought it was an elephant, but when he looked better he saw it was Bert the hippo. If Bert was there, Abby couldn't be far. He looked around him and saw her. She tried to say something, but Tim couldn't hear her. She mimed: "Don't leave! Stay with us!" He tried to walk towards her, tell her he would never leave her, but for some reason he couldn't, as if there was an invisible wall between them. The rest of the team stood next to her. They tried to help him, to get him through the wall, but they couldn't reach him. He tried to climb the wall, but lost his grip and fell down.

"That's not gonna work, Tim, believe me." He turned around and saw Kate.

"Kate! What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I came to see you," she answered.

"We all miss you, Kate."

"I know. I miss you guys too."

"What's happening to me, Kate? Why can't I go to Abby and the rest of the team?"

"Don't you remember what happened?"

"You mean... I'm dead?" Suddenly Tim was terrified. There was so much he hadn't done, so many words he hadn't said.

Kate smiled. "No, you're not. At least not yet. You'll have to make a decision. Do you want to get back to the team or go with me?"

He looked at her. "You mean I have a choice?"

"Yes. Unlike me. I have to stay here, but you can still cross the wall. I've gotta warn you, though. The way back is much harder than the way forward. You'll have to fight."

Tim nodded. He knew what he had to do. "Goodbye, Kate."

She smiled. "You made the right decision. Goodbye, Tim."


	3. The search

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I just don't have a lot of time to write. Once again, thanks for the reviews :-D And I still don't own the characters, if I did you'd be seeing this on tv and wouldn't have to read it ;-)

Chapter Three:

Hospital coffee. The worst there is. Gibbs hated it, cause it reminded him of all the times he had been standing in a waiting room, with nothing to do but... well, waiting. He thought of all the times he had been standing there because of Tony, of Ziva, of Kate, hell, even because of Ducky. But never for Tim. His youngest agent seemed to magically escape from any injury he could possibly get, apart from seasickness. This time it was different.

He looked at Abby, who was still stunned. She never was so quiet when someone of the team was injured, but her relationship with McGee was also... different. He hoped she could hold it together and would be able to process the forensics, as soon as they found some.

Tony and Ziva had gone back to NCIS, saying they'd rather find the guy who did this then just sit around and do nothing. He couldn't blame them, he actually felt the same way. But he couldn't leave Abby alone.

Finally, Ducky came in, with Palmer just behind him. "Jethro! What the hell happened?"

"Not quite sure yet, Duck. One shooter, he just seemed to appear and shoot McGee."

"How is he?"

"Still in surgery. Two gunshot wound, one in the shoulder, one in the chest. He's lost a lot of blood. They don't know if... if he's gonna make it. I didn't even see the damn shooter, Duck!"

"There's nothing you could have done, Jethro, this wasn't your fault."

"Still feels like it."

Ducky looked at his friend, immediately seeing his struggle.

"Go, Jethro, start your investigation. I'll be here when Timothy wakes up."

Gibbs nodded, relieved. "Thanks, Duck."

-NCIS-

"We've got nothing!" Tony felt desperate. One of his team, his friend, was shot and they didn't have a clue who was responsible.

"Tony..." Ziva said.

He turned around to face her. "What?"

"We've got a hit on the BOLO. The car belongs to a certain Michael Cooper."

"Cooper? That name sounds familiar."

Ziva nodded. "The case we were working on, the murder on Lieutenant Lisa Cooper. McGee was trying to crack the encrypted files. A coincidence?"

"No such thing. Sounds like we've got something anyway."

"What is it, Tony?" Ziva and Tony both jumped when Gibbs entered the squadroom.

"Any news from the hospital?" Tony immediately asked.

"He's still in surgery."

Tony nodded. "We've got a hit on the BOLO." Ziva took over and told Gibbs what they had discovered.

"What was in that encrypted file again?" Gibbs asked.

"Just series of numbers. Still don't know what they mean."

"We'll get back to that later. Let's bring this dirtbag in first!"

-NCIS-

Tim was getting so tired. The wall seemed to be undefeatable. He had tried everything: climbing, jumping, simply running in to it: nothing worked. Maybe he should just give up.

-NCIS-

"Were is all that blood coming from?" The surgeons tried the best they could to suck it away, to just find the bullet and remove it, but the blood came from a whole different place.

"How is it coming up there if he's bleeding down here?" One of the surgeons looked at the monitor that showed the man's heart beat. Suddenly the line went flat.

"Damn! His heart has stopped. Paddles!"

-NCIS-

Tim just fell down and couldn't move anymore. He was so tired... Suddenly he felt the pain too, in his right shoulder and in his chest, somewhere near his heart. Kate was right, the way back was really hard, way to hard for him. He would just go after her, see where he would get. Then he saw Abby, right in front of him. And he knew he couldn't just leave her like this. With new strenght, he jumped up and tried to get over the wall again.

-NCIS-

"He's back!" The surgeons looked at each other relieved. "Nice work, guys."

They started working on him again very quickly, and managed to make the bleeding stop. "We did all we could. Now it's up to him."


	4. The awakening

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own NCIS or the characters, I just borrowed them for my own twisted pleasures, so again I owe them a big thank you.

Chapter Four

Gibbs knocked on the door. "Michael Cooper, NCIS! We've got a warrant!" No answer came and he decided to ignore the 15-seconds rule – not that that was a new thing – and kicked in the door. He, Tony and Ziva began to search the house systematically for its owner.

"Clear!" Tony yelled right behind him. He said the same thing about the kitchen. Then he heard Ziva yell: "He's here!"

Gibbs ran towards her, with Tony right behind him. By the time they got to her she had a man handcuffed who looked exactely like the woman that was lying down in Autopsy. "Michael Cooper, you are under arrest for the shooting and the assault of two federal officers."

'Assault?' Gibbs thought. Then he saw the blood under Ziva's nose.

"You should have Ducky take a look at that, Ziva."

"I am fine, Gibbs." Of course she was. She always was, and if she wasn't she wouldn't admit it. He gave her a stare. "You still should go see Ducky." She nodded. "I will."

"Boss?"

"What, Tony?"

"I just figured if we shouldn't call Sarah. I mean, it's her brother and you know..."

"I tried, she's camping with some friends. Can't reach her, but will as soon as she returns."

Tony nodded. "Okay, I just wanted to know."

-NCIS-

Tony looked at Gibbs. "What are you waiting for, Boss?"

"Making sure I won't kill the guy as soon as I step into that room."

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, I know how you feel."

Gibbs stepped out of Observation and into Interrogation. Tony studied Cooper. He could be the shooter. He had about the same height, but it was hard to tell because he never had a good look on him. The man looked a lot like his sister, Lieutenant Lisa Cooper. They could have been twins. Gibbs sat down and blocked Tony's sight.

"Why am I here?" Cooper started, angry. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Then why did you fight when officer David arrested you?"

"I... I just didn't want any trouble you know, 'cause you see it in the movies too. Whenever the cops get you, there's no way out of the trouble."

Tony sighed. He owed Hollywood a lot, but sometimes it could be really annoying.

Gibbs continued the interrogation. "What makes you think you're in trouble?"

At moments like these, Tony really admired his boss for staying calm.

"I just figured you know, when I saw you guys, that..."

"We saw a man get into your car after shooting a Federal Agent this afternoon!"

The man paled a little. "A Federal Agent? I don't have anything to do with that. Really Sir, I don't. And I can prove it, I spend whole afternoon at my Mom's place. She was just really upset after my sister died and I wanted to comfort her. I've got an alibi, just check it!"

Gibbs looked in the mirror, giving Tony a signal who went to the squad room immediately to check out the alibi.

-NCIS-

Abby was sitting next to Ducky and Palmer in the hospital waiting room when a doctor came towards them.

"Are you here for Timothy McGee?"

All three of them jumped up. "Yes."

The man nodded. "The bullet in his chest busted a few ribs and came very close to his heart. It caused a lot of internal damage and he flat-lined a couple of times, but we were able to repair it."

"Meaning?" Ducky asked.

"Agent McGee has lost a lot of blood. It's too soon to speculate about his recovery. The next twenty-four hours..."

"...will be critical, yes, we know the drill," he sighed.

"Can we see him?" Abby asked.

"He is still unconsious, but you can stay with him if you like to. Not more than two persons allowed, though."

"That's fine," Palmer said. "I've got some things I have to do anyway."

Ducky and Abby went to Tim's room. When she saw him, Abby hold her breath. He was just so pale, and looking so vunerable, so... wounded. She'd never seen him like that. His right arm was in a sling and he had tube in his throat to help him breathe. She sat down in one of the chairs next to his bed, and took his hand into hers.

-NCIS-

Tim was getting so close he could almost feel Abby. If he could just hold on for a few more minutes, he would be through. He gathered all of his strenght and ran to the wall. Instead of hitting it, like he'd expected, he fell right through it.

-NCIS-

His phone went off. "Gibbs."

He listened for a moment and then started smiling. He looked at Tony and Ziva.

"He's awake."


	5. The threat

**A/N:** I apologise for my lousy update style, but I really try to post a new chapter every week. Don't own NCIS or its characters, I just write this for fun and I'm trying to hide that I'm a no-lifer. Then again, you guys read this stuff so you don't have a life either XD. Nah, I'm just kidding. I really appreciate anyone who reads this ;-)

Chapter Five:

The first thing Tim became aware of was pain. Not as bad as before, but still controlling every thought. He opened his eyes, a movement that cost him a lot of energy. His own weakness started to scare him.

"Timmy! O my god Ducky, he's awake!"

Abby. He look at her and tried to smile. "Hey," he managed to whisper. She looked like hell. She probably had been sitting there all the time, he realised, waiting for him to wake up.

She answered his smile. "Hey Tim. You had us all worried! How are you feeling? Do you need more pain meds? Should I get you a doctor?"

Tim realised he didn't even know the extent of his injuries yet. He tried to move, but immediately felt a sharp pain stab through his right shoulder. He took a deep breath, but winced as more pain made itself known – the bullet that went into his chest had broken three ribs. He let out a low moan.

He felt a strong hand grab his uninjured shoulder. "Easy, my dear boy. You need to get your breathing right." It took him a few minutes, in which Ducky kept talking to him softly, trying to soothe the young agent. A nurse came in and gave him some morphine that eased the pain a bit.

The door of the room opened and Gibbs, Tony and Ziva came in. All three of them knew that Tim's agonised expression would haunt them forever, just as the image of him lying in his own blood. He was the youngest member of the team and they unconsciously always tried to keep him save, to protect him. This time they failed.

Ducky turned around. "Jethro! I didn't expect you here yet."

Ziva chuckled. "I drove."

Tony added: "I bet you could hear the car horns over here."

"That's probably gonna kill you one day," a soft voice said.

"Tim," Gibbs said, relieved to see his agent awake. "How're you feeling?"

"Honestly? Worse than ever. You guys all look like crap."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "You should look in the mirror."  
"Yeah, but I got shot, I'm allowed to look like crap." They all smiled.

"You up for some questions?" Gibbs asked. Tim nodded and tried to sit up a little, immediately wishing he hadn't. He moaned in pain as his injuries made itself known again. Gibbs rushed to his side and gently grabbed his shoulder. "Take it easy, Tim. Don't overdo it, one step at the time."

By the time Tim had catches his breath Gibbs started asking him some questions about his attacker. He couldn't tell them much they didn't know already, but he was really surprised when Gibbs told him they had Michael Cooper in custody.

"Those encrypted files..." he muttered. "They must have triggered a bug the moment I cracked them so it warned them. I never realised..."

"Yeah, but that theory isn't working out either. Cooper has an alibi," Tony sighed. "But I bet this is related to Lieutenant Cooper's murder."

"Ya think, DiNozzo?"

Tim smiled. Some things would never change, no matter what.

"You should be resting, Timothy," Ducky said. "Try to get some sleep, I will be here for you when you wake up."

The rest of the team, including Abby, promised they would be back as soon as they could.

-NCIS-

When they got back at NCIS Head Quarters, Abby started working on the files Tim cracked.

"It doesn't make sense at all, Gibbs. I've tried everything: letter substitution, set them in a different order, I even checked if they are case files. Nothing at all."

Gibbs sighed. He already figured it wouldn't be easy. "Just keep trying, Abs."

"What's gonna happen to Michael Cooper now?" Abby asked.

"We had to release him, since he has an alibi. Apparently his car was stolen, he just totally forgot to report that. We're still gonna put a tap on his phone."

His phone went of. "Gibbs."

He listened for a moment. "On my way, Tony."

He took the elevator to the squad room. "What've you got?"

Tony put up a few pictures on the plasma. "Lisa and Michael Cooper have a younger brother, Bill. I talked to a few people on the phone who confirm that he borrows his brothers car a lot, and he doesn't have an alibi."

Gibbs nodded. "Good enough for me. Let's bring him in."

-NCIS-

The dark man listened carefully to every word spoken in the squad room through his headset. He stared laughing, drawing the attention of his partner, a tall Caucasian man in his early 40s.

"What's so funny?"

"They're going after Billy Cooper. The poor little boy won't know what's gonna happen to him."

The white man started to laugh to. "Plan's working out so far. We've got them to do our dirty work. We can't let them find out to much, though. Who were you planning on bringing in for... questioning?"

The black man smiled, familiar with the way his partner 'questioned' people. Most of them didn't survive. "The old guy, with the silvergray hair."

**A/N**: I'm not really sure where I want to go with this story yet, but something's gonna happen to Gibbs to. There're gonna be three parties: Team Gibbs, the Cooper family and the unknown couple. I'll update as soon as I'm done with the next part. Reviews are definitely appreciated ;-)


	6. The attack

Chapter Six

For the second time that day, Gibbs knocked on a door: "Bill Cooper, open up! Federal agents, we've got a warrant!" For the second time that day, Gibbs decided to ignore the 15-minute rule and immediately kicked in the door. He, Tony and Ziva spread out in the hope to find the third child of the Cooper family. "Clear!" Tony yelled, and short thereafter Ziva did the same. Gibbs found himself repeating the word. "He's not here."

They got together again in the kitchen. Ziva looked around. "This place is a mess. How could someone live here?"

"This guy is definitely single," Tony added.

"Put out a BOLO on him," Gibbs said. "If he ran when he saw us, he can't be very far."

His phone went off. "Gibbs. Wow, slow down Ducky. What are you saying?" His expression became extremely worried. Tony and Ziva shared a look. Ducky could never be bringing good news, and he was still in the hospital with Tim.

"We're on our way."

"What's going on, Boss?" Tony immediately asked. "Problems at the hospital?"

"McGee was attacked by some psycho with a knife. He has a pretty bad concussion and a deep cut in his left arm, which will definitely need stitches."

"You think it's the same guy who shot him?" Tony asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "I really don't know, Tony. At least one of us should have stayed with him while this guy is still out there."

Ziva said quietly: "We couldn't have seen this coming, Gibbs."

"We should have."

She sighed. This whole thing wouldn't get any easier if Gibbs kept blaming himself.

"But how could this happen?" she asked.

**- 45 minutes ago, Bethesda Naval Hospital -**

"I am taking a visit to the bathroom, Timothy. I take it you will be okay?"

Tim smiled. Ducky hadn't left his side since he woke up, something he had been very grateful for. "Of course, Ducky. And thank you."

Ducky gave him a warm smile. "Don't mention it, dear boy."

He walked out of the hospital room. Tim shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. The pain hit him almost immediately, and he let out a soft cry. He had never been in anything like this. Even the car crash on his sixteenth birthday hadn't caused pain this intense. Even breathing hurt, thanks to his broken ribs. Of course he would never admit that to his team if he didn't have to. There was an unofficial rule that they shared pretty much anything with each other, except their past and their pain. It was the only way to have some privacy, since they practically lived together.

A stranger stepped into his room. At first he didn't really notice: doctors and nurses came checking on him every twenty minutes. Then he noticed the knife the stranger was holding. He immediately pressed the call button next to his bed that would alert the nurses station. The stranger, a rather big, dark coloured man, smiled a sly smile. "I'm afraid that won't help anything, Timothy."

Tim tried to somehow back away from this man. The movement caused him great pain in his ribs, and he winced almost immediately. The man seemed to find it rather amusing.

"Here, let me help you with that," he whispered and jumped forward, trying to stab Tim in his arms and legs. Not in his chest, Tim noticed. He didn't have time to wonder why, because he had to fight with all his strength to keep the man away from him. His right arm was useless, so he lifted his left in an attempt to protect his head. The man took that chance immediately and cut deep into his arm. Tim screamed from the pain while blood started to flow out of the wound. The man decided to end it easily and hit his head with the handle of the knife. The last thing Tim heard was a scream. He was out before he realised it was his own.

**- Present -**

"I was only gone for a few minutes. When I came back, he lay unconscious in his bed with blood flooding from the wounds in his arm and head. There was no sign of his attacker, so I immediately went to get a nurse."

"You couldn't have done anything more, Duck," Gibbs said quietly.

"And neither did you Jethro, so there is no need to blame yourself for this."

Gibbs sighed. "I should have stayed with him, make sure that the guy who shot him wouldn't get back. Make sure that something like this wouldn't happen."

"The best thing you could do to protect him is find the bastard who shot him," Ducky said firmly. "Stop beating yourself up over this, Jethro. It won't help you and it certainly won't help Timothy."

"How is he now?"

"His wounds have been bandaged. He needed 28 stitches in his left arm. He is still unconscious, but we are allowed to see him."

"This is the last thing he needed, Duck. He's already been through enough for the rest of his life!"

"I know, Jethro, I know."

They went back to the rest of the team, including Abby, who looked paler than Tim had. Ducky led them into the Junior Agent's room. Gibbs carefully studied the younger man. He definitely looked worse than before. A bandage around his head covered the head wound that caused the concussion. Another bandage was rapped around his arm. Gibbs reminded himself that Tim's left arm had 28 stitches. His boy had already gone through so many. He hadn't deserved this.

Tim started to moan, a sign that he was waking up. Gibbs rushed to his side, grabbing his arm in an attempt to soothe the young man. Tim flinched at the touch and tried to back away. "Easy Tim, it's just me. Everything's alright," Gibbs softly said.

Tim slowly opened his eyes. "Boss... 'm sorry..."

"Don't. This is in no way your fault, Tim. If it is anyone's, it's mine."

Tim shook his head, despite the pain his head wound caused. "Not your fault Boss. Couldn't have known."

Gibbs felt his own emotions rise to the surface as he looked at his younger agent, in pain but still making an effort of making Gibbs feel better.

Ducky jumped in. "How do you feel, Timothy? Should I call a nurse?"

"No, 'm fine. What... what's the damage?" Tim whispered.

Ducky answered: "You have a rather nasty head wound, which caused a severe concussion. That explains the headache you must undoubtedly feel. You also have a deep cut in your left arm that required multiple stitches."

It stayed silent for a moment. Then Tim looked at Gibbs. "I guess you need to know what happened?"

Gibbs smiled slightly. "If you think you're up to it, Tim."

Tim started telling what happened. The team listened seemingly untouched, although Tony flinched when he told about the cut. Tim had fought so damn hard to stay alive for two times in a very short period of time.

When he was done, Gibbs asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to. "Was this guy the one who shot you?"

"No." The team looked surprised. "The guy who shot me was Caucasian. I think this one was African-American."

"Damn," Gibbs whispered. That meant there were at least two guys they had to worry about.

They all jumped when they heard a gunshot, just outside the hospital. People started screaming.

"Stay with Tim!" Gibbs yelled at Tony and Ziva. He ran outside to see what had happened. There were three women yelling hysterical, claiming a guy came towards them with a gun and started shooting in the air.

"He went that way!" one of them said, pointing at a little alley. Gibbs felt his gut clench, but if this was anyhow related to Tim, he had to go check. He ran into the alley. There was no one to be seen. Then he heard a sound, just behind him. He turned around, but it was too late. He felt a sharp pain, just behind his right ear. He fell into a dark oblivion before he could react.


	7. The pain

A/N: I know, this is like my slowest update ever. I'm really sorry (A). There are multiple boring reasons for that which I bet you're not interested in. So here's the new chapter. This was kinda hard to write somehow, so please let me know how I did ;) Oh, and something I had forgotten to tell: the story is set somewhere season 4, because I wanted both Jenny and Paula in it. I'm not gonna mention Jeanne, though.

Chapter Seven:

Darkness. The faint smell of paint. A nagging pain just below his right ear. The sound of footsteps coming towards him and two soft voices.

"I think he's waking up."

"Well, that's about time. We've been waiting for hours."

"Hours? More like 40 minutes or so."

"Whatever. If you hadn't hit his head like a maniac…"

"So now I suddenly am the maniac?"

"What do you mean with suddenly?"

He tried to focus, but found that very hard with his painfully pounding head. Were was he? What had happened? It had something to do with Tim. Tim was… shot! And after that attacked. Poor kid couldn't catch a break. What had happened after that? There had been another gunshot, and he had gone outside to see what was going on. He had gine into a small alley, and then…

His eyes jerked open. Two men were standing close to him, one white and one black. He sat in a chair with his hands and feet bound to it, making him very uncomfortable.

The Caucasian man smiled. "Welcome, Agent Gibbs."

-NCIS-

It had been two hours since Gibbs left the hospital in a hurry. When he didn't come back, Ziva had gone outside to check on him, leaving Tony to guard Ducky and McGee. She immediately knew something was wrong when she saw a small pool of blood in the little alley. They had called in Agent Cassidy's team to assist them in processing the scene and guarding Tim. Tony, Ziva and Cassidy were back at NCIS Headquarters now, leaving the two other members of Paula's team at the hospital.

Tim had barely reacted to the news of Gibbs being missing, being heavily sedated with pain medication, while Ducky had shown worry for his old friend.

Abby reacted the most surprisingly. Instead of collapsing in a chair and crying hysterically, she didn't say a word and started testing the blood Ziva found in the alley.

"It's definitely Gibbs' blood," she told them without blinking.

Tony and Ziva shared a worried look, not just for their missing Team Leader, but also for the Goth who was acting so weird.

"Abbs, are you okay?" Tony asked carefully. Abby turned back to her computer without saying a word. Tony shrugged. There were more important things to worry about right now.

"This is definitely connected to the murder of Lieutenant Cooper and McGee being shot," Ziva said. "Those encrypted files must be more important than we thought."

"So you've confirmed this is actually about those files?" Cassidy asked.

Ziva shot her a look Gibbs would have been proud of. "Do you have any other ideas, Special Agent Cassidy?"

Cassidy sighed. The Mossad Officer wasn't gonna make this any easier.

Ziva realised she wasn't helping much. "I am sorry, Paula. I'm just really worried about Gibbs and McGee. That makes me a little cracky."

Cassidy smiled. "I think you mean cranky."

Ziva shrugged. "Same difference."

Tony said: "We should get back to the squad room. I need to brief Director Shepard. Abby, keep working on those files."

Nothing indicated the Goth had heard him, until she turned around and threw herself into his arms. "Please tell me he's gonna be okay?" she begged.

"We'll find him, Abbs," he answered, realising that wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the best he could offer at the moment.

-NCIS-

"What do you want?" Gibbs demanded, knowing damn well they wouldn't tell him anything unless they wanted to. These guys were pro's.

His two captors looked at each other smiling. "Told you so," the African-American man said. "You owe me ten bucks."

He turned to Gibbs. "You're not exactly in a position to make demands, Agent Gibbs."

Like he hadn't noticed that. Nothing was more annoying than polite criminals who kept calling you 'Agent'.

The white man took over. "You've got something that belongs to us, Agent Gibbs."

Again his formal title. "And what would that be?" he asked, trying to look uninterested but breaking his head over options to escape.

The man hit him in his ribs, hard. He gasped for air, desperately trying to catch his breath. "Don't speak unless spoken to," the man hissed.

Gibbs managed a smile. "Kinda reminds me of high school, as a matter o…" The man hit his head before he could finish his sentence. Before he blacked out, he managed to hear a few sentences.

"That's great! Now we need to wait for another hour!"

"He needs to learn he's not in charge here."

"I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't I always?"

-NCIS-

Tony practically ran up the stairs to Jenny's office, feeling like he was spoiling his precious time.

"Tony!" Jenny said. "What's the status?"

"The blood found in the alley is Gibbs'," he reported quickly. "We believe whoever it was that attacked McGee also abducted Gibbs. The shot we heard must have been a trick to get him outside, alone. Whoever this is, he's smart and well informed. McGee has given his description, but he's only certain about one thing: this wasn't the same man who shot him."

Jenny sighed. Being Gibbs' former partner, she knew just how much trouble he could get himself in. She opened her drawer and took out her Sig Sauer.

Tony's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you doing, Jenny?"

"He was my partner too. You think I'm just gonna sit around and do nothing while he's in trouble?" she replied furiously.

Tony sighed. He'd been afraid this would happen. On the other hand, Jenny was a hell of a field agent and definitely a force to be reckoned with. She smiled at him, reading his mind. "Of course you'll still be in charge of the investigation, but I thought you could use the help. Especially with one of your team in the hospital."

Tony nodded. "Thanks, Jenny. I appreciate it."

-NCIS-

Even through his drugged mind, Tim's worry started to grow. Gibbs was missing. Gibbs, the leader of the team, the rock that always was there at the moment you needed it. And now that Tim needed him the most, he was missing. Guilt startet to grow inside him. He was convinced this had something to do with the encrypted files. If he had just managed to crack them, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. And more important, if he hadn't been so stupid to get attacked while lying in a hospital bed, Gibbs wouldn't have come back, wouldn't have heard the gunshot, wouldn't have gone into the alley, wouldn't…

He looked around. The two agents of Cassidy's team, Daniel Thompson and Jeff Baker, were standing by the door as two giant guarding dogs. He was thankful for their presence. The attack had been both terrifying and exhausting, not to mention painful, and he didn't think he could go through another one.

Ducky sat next to his bed, silent for once. He was obviously worrying about Gibbs, just like himself. He sighed and immediately flinched at the pain his ribs caused. He was getting so tired of the constant pain that even the medication couldn't take away. If he sould just close his eyes for a few minutes…

-NCIS-

Gibbs woke once again in the small room. He was still tied to the chair, and his head hurt even more. Most likely a concussion. He winced as his ribs made themselves known too. At least two of them were broken, judging by the pain they caused.

The smack on his right arm came out of nowhere. He cried in pain and automatically closed his eyes.

Another blow followed. "Look at me," a voice demanded. He forced his eyes open, looking at the Caucasian man who was holding a baseball bat.

"What was in them?"

"In what?" Gibbs asked.

Strike.

"In WHAT?" he cried.

Strike.

"The encrypted files on Lisa Cooper's laptop."

"No idea, and if I knew I wouldn't tell ya!"

Strike. Gibbs felt both bones in his arm break. He bit his lips to hold back a cry of pain, not willing to give his captor the satisfaction.

"I don't know!"

Strike.

"Don't lie to me, Gunny. What's in those files?"

Strike.

"We haven't cracked it yet."

Strike. The pain was almost unbearable. The man untied him and threw the chair away, only to bind Gibbs' hands again in front of him, regardless of his broken arm. He hung him on a hook attached to the wall. Gibbs' legs were still too weak to carry his weight, so he practically hung on his amrs, putting a lot of pressure on his broken bones. The pain was so bad he couldn't do much more than gasp. He tried to stand, desperate for relieve, and managed to put most of his weight back on his legs, leaning against the wall for support.

The man laughed at his awkward position and left the room, leaving Gibbs hanging on the hook. He was in trouble big time. These guys were after Lieutenant Cooper's files and seemed to be willing to do just about anything to get them. They wouldn't take no for an answer. Gibbs trusted his team completely to save him. He just hoped they would do it in time.

A/N: I'll be travelling from next Saturday to the seventh of August without computer. I plan on updating again before that, but I'm not really sure if I'll find the time…


	8. The hope

A/N: This one came faster than expected :P Just to compensate for the last reeeeeeally slow update ;-) Thanks for the reviews, reading them makes me happy like a child (hmm, I AM a child). Anyway, here's the new chapter, hope you like it!

Chapter Eight

Ziva was close to desperate. Tim was shot, Gibbs was missing and they didn't have a clue who was behind it. Making things even mare complicated, it was possible they were looking for two individuals. Tim'd said that the guy who attacked him wasn't the guy that shot him.

They agreed the attack had been a trick to get to Gibbs, so the African-American man probably took the ex-Marine.

Ziva's computer beeped. She looked at it. A small feeling of hope started to form inside her.

"Tony!"

"What?"

"Bill Cooper just came home. One of the neigbors saw him arrive and called local LEO's."

Tony sighed. It wasn't the best news they could get. Bill Cooper was probably in no way connected to Gibbs' disappearing, but it was better than nothing. It was not like they had any other ideas at the moment. He nodded. "Let's bring him in."

He, Ziva, Jenny and Paula (since when did his team exist of women?) geared up quickly and got in the van. The drive to Bill Cooper's house was silent, everyone lost in their own thoughts and worries.

When they arrived at the place, they immediately jumped out of the car with their guns ready. Tony started signing instructions and Ziva kicked in the door. They quickly spread out, yelling "Federal agents! We've got a warrant!"

'Talking about dé-jà vu,' Tony thought, realising they had done the same thing only hours ago. Hours… It felt like they had been in this situation for days, while it had only been yesterday when Tim got shot. They had stayed up all night to wait for a word on his condition and find anything that could lead to the shooter.

A young guy, 23 year tops, came out of the kitchen. Tony immediately pointed his gun at him.

"Bill Cooper?" The kid nodded, obviously too terrified to say a word. Tony wondered if he would have the balls to even hit someone, let alone shoot. He didn't look too smart either. Tony actually felt sorry for the kid, but then remembered the state Tim was in. He immediately hardened and grabbed his handcuffs.

"You're under arrest for the attempted murder on Special Agent Timothy McGee and possible connection to the abduction of Special Agent Gibbs and murder of Lieutenant Lisa Cooper." Tony felt the kid flinch at the name of his sister, but didn't really care.

"You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right…"

-NCIS-

Ducky walked back into Tim's room after going for tea, nodding at the two Agents just outside the room. He was surprised to see the young man nog only awake, but sitting with a laptop on his lap.

"Timothy, what are you doing? You should be resting, dear boy."

Tim replied without taking his eyes of the computer screen. "It's somewhere in those files, Ducky. It's right there and I have to find it."

Ducky wondered briefly where McGee had found the strenght to sit upright without collapsing from pain and exhaustion. The young man must be even more stubborn than Gibbs. "Whát is in those files?"

"The answer," Tim replied. "The answer to who is holding Gibbs. When I first tried to crack the encryption, I triggerd an application that was meant to set of an alarm. I think it let someone know that I cracked it. That's probably why I got shot and Gibbs abducted. Don't you see it, Ducky? This is all my fault. I need to make it right again."

He could only use one arm, since his right one was still in a sling. The huge cut in his left arm didn't make it any easier, but he was determined to do anything useful. He couldn't just ly around while his Boss was missing because of him.

Ducky protested. "I believe Abby is quite capable of finding whatever is hidden in there, Timothy. You won't help your team by exhausting yourself to the point they have to worry about you too."

Tim felt tears form in his eyes. He bit them back quickly, cursing the pain that seemed to be just about everywhere. "I have to do this, Ducky. Hell, I'm a Special Agent with NCIS. I should be albe to do this properly, without making sloppy mistakes like I did."

"No one expects you to be perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I remember a story on of my teachers told me once…"

Tim listened to the story, being soothed by Ducky's voice. He felt fatigue wash over him and closed his eyes. Just for five minutes. After that he would get back to work.

Ducky looked at the young man, fast asleep. He smiled despite everything and took the laptop awa from the injured agent. He cursed himself for not seeing the guilt in Tim and talk to him sooner. He couldn't do anything for Gibbs at te moment, except taking care of his people. He decided to watch Tim closely from now on.

-NCIS-

Gibbs was getting so tired. The constant pain in his arm, head and ribs wasn't helping much. Staying on his feet was getting harder and harder, but he couldn't put any pressure on his broken arm without crying out in pain.

The door opened again. This time the black man came in. He had something in his hands that looked like a… cattle prod? O god! He mentally prepared himself for the pain that would undoubtedly come.

The man smiled at him. "Carl likes using the heavy stuff. I myself prefer the more subtle way. It's way easier."

He touched Gibbs with the prod on his chest. The pain came immediately, spreading out to the rest of his body. He gasped in pain.

"This is useless, you know," Gibbs managed. "You've got the wrong guy. I can't give you what you want."

The man smiled a horrible smile again. "Then maybe we don't need you at all."

It was then that Gibbs realised there was a very slim chance he would make it out of there alive.

-NCIS-

Tony stepped into the interrogation room and looked at the slightly trembling form in front of him. He sat down quickly, startling the other man.

Bill Cooper looked in no way like his brother and sister. While they were both handsome and smart, he had big ears and curly, wild hair and was definitely not the brightest boy in class. Tony didn't think this kid could come up with a plan of shooting an agent, let alone abduct one.

He spread out some pictures on the table. One of them showed Lisa Cooper's body, another one the pool of blood Tim had left on the terrace. Bill turned away, looking slightly green.

"Lieutenant Lisa Cooper. Shot twice in the chest at point blank. One of the bullets went right through her heart, killing her instantly."

The kid shivered at the sight of his sister, lying in her own blood with two bullet holes in her body.

Tony put a picture of Tim on the table and continued without mercy. "Special Agent Timothy McGee. Shot once in the chest and once in the right shoulder from a distance, right after cracking the encrypted files found on the laptop next to Lisa's body."

Tony saw the recognition in Bill's eyes. He lay a picture of Gibbs next to the others. "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Abducted while trying to find Lisa's killer and Tim's attacker. Still missing."

"They didn't tell me a thing about the files!" Bill yelled, sounding like he was about to cry.

"Who didn't?" Tony asked, his heart pounding like it was trying to jump out of his chest.

"Daddy and Michael and Lisa. They never tell me anything. They always leave me out." The kid sounded desperate. "But I saw them one time. I saw them when they were sitting behind Lisa's laptop. They were really sneaky and stuff, and something was just hinky, you know."

Tony smiled slightly at the familiar word Abby used so often. "What were they doing, Bill?"

"I don't know, but they had some file opened called 'Armsdeal'. And I just figured it had something to do with Lisa's work, you know. They didn't know I saw them."

Tony sighed. This was worse than he thought. The Cooper family seemed to run some kind of arms dealing business. "You told someone about those files, didn't ya Bill?"

Bill nodded. "Two guys, one black and one white. They asked me what I had seen. Offered me fifty bucks. So I told them."

Tony knew he was onto something. "What were their names?"

Bill shrugged. "I don't know the black guy's name, but the white guy's name is Carl. Carl Davenworth."

Behind the glass in Observation, Ziva and Jenny shared a look and went back to the squad room to search for one Carl Davenworth. Paula decided to run a background check on David Cooper, the head of the family. Apparenty he was involved in the situation too. Tony left Bill in Interrogation with a guard and went upstairs as well.

"Carl Davenworth," Ziva said. "Caucasian male, 43 years old. Former marine. Dishonorably discharged 5 years ago for using violence against several members of his unit."

Jenny took over. "Current adress: 2300 Maple Street. It's pretty close from here. I can have a warrant in 20 minutes."

Tony nodded, thankful for the power her position contained. "I just hope we won't be too late."

A/N: Okay, that's it for the next 3 weeks, I'm sorry. Travelling without computer ;-) Please review!


	9. The answers

A/N: Yeah, I know I don't update often enough. This time it had a lot to do with my mom confiscating my laptop (you really don't wanna know) and school trying to take over my life again. Not great excuses, I'm also just pretty lazy. Anyway, here's the new chapter. We're getting close to the end, probably one or two chapters left. Usual disclaimer applies.

Chapter Nine:

Gibbs had lost every track of time. He knew he probably hadn't been in the small room for more than 12 hours, but it felt like weeks. Every time he thought he could catch a break, one of the men came in and started torturing him again. They'd used a baseball bat, cattle prod, copper pipe and even a huge knife. By now not only his arm was broken but also his ankle, clavicle and several ribs.

Every part of him ached in an indescribable way. There was also a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he'd failed his team, and especially Tim. He was supposed to protect Tim, find the bastards responsible for the shooting, but all he had managed to do was get himself in trouble as well.

The door opened with a squeaky noise. This time both men came in. They hadn't brought any weapons, at least not as far as Gibbs could see. One of his eyes was shut tight though, so he didn't really trust his sight.

"Special Agent Gibbs," the white man, Carl, said. "I take it you have enjoyed your stay so far?"

"Go to hell," he managed and received a kick against his broken ankle for the effort. It was all he could do to hold back a moan, not willing to give them the satisfaction. 'Probably a little late for that, anyway,' he thought. During the previous torture he'd tried to make as little noise as possible, but he hadn't succeeded every time. It'd simply hurt too much.

"I am afraid you aren't of any use to us anymore, though. You have made it clear that you do not know the contents of the earlier-mentioned files."

"I'd hate to overstay an invitation," Gibbs growled. "Maybe I should just leave and stop being a… burden."

The men smiled at each other. "Told you he'd say that to," the African-American man said. Carl nodded. "I owe you ten dollars once again."

He turned his attention back to the battered form in front of him. "Did you really think we were going to let you walk out of here, Agent Gibbs? You know too much."

He brought his hand to his side and took a gun out of its holster. Apparently not totally unarmed.

"At least tell me why," Gibbs almost pleaded. His team would have a lead by now, wouldn't they? All he had to do was buy some more time. And to be honest, he was curious too.

Carl looked at his partner. "Shall we humour him?"

The other man smiled. "Do whatever you want, Carl. It's not like he's gonna tell anyone about it."

Carl smirked at the comment. "One thing you're right about, Wayne. Well Agent Gibbs, we might as well tell you then, don't you think?"

Gibbs managed to push through the pain and made himself listen carefully to the explanation.

"I used to be a Marine. And I gotta tell you, I loved it," Carl started. "Had one buddy I was pretty close with. His name was Steve Cooper."

Alarm bells started to go off in Gibbs' mind. "Michael and Lisa Cooper's father."

Carl nodded. "I admired him, actually. Would do anything for him. And then he betrayed me. I've always been a bit… physical."

"Really?" Gibbs muttered. "Hadn't noticed."

"You sayin' something?" Wayne yelled at him, spitting in his face.

Gibbs shook his head, afraid Carl would stop with the story.

"Didn't think so," Carl continued with a smile. "Anyway, one night, about five years ago, I got into quite a bit of trouble with a few other Marines from my unit. We started fighting. Steve just stood on the sideline and watched. I lost."

Gibbs could see the admission was hard for him.

"There was an official investigation and Steve was the one that told them that I had started the fight. I was dishonourably discharged because of my buddy. That's when I swore I'd get back at him."

So that was what all this was about. Vengeance.

"I always had known Steve was into something dirty. Never reported him though. Like I said, he was my buddy. I started digging deeper about a year ago, together with Wayne here. Approached his youngest kid, Billy. Bit of a dumbass. It wasn't hard to get the story about the files out of him. He told me they were on his daughter's laptop, Lieutenant Lisa Cooper."

"So you killed her," Gibbs finished quietly.

"So we killed her. But things didn't go by plan. She was discovered before we could get to the laptop. And then NCIS got their hands on it."

"You're the one that shot my agent?" Gibbs asked, fury in his voice.

Carl smiled. "I was planning on, but I didn't. Someone else got to him first, saving us the dirty work. Wayne was the one that attacked him, though."

At that point, Gibbs didn't think he'd ever hate anyone like he hated the man in front of him. "Why?" he asked.

"To lure you out," Carl answered. "And it was so easy, Agent Gibbs. No fun at all. A little disappointing though, that you don't know anything about those files. I'm afraid we'll have to go after one of your other agents. Maybe the handsome one with the brown hair, or the cute foreign woman."

That's when Gibbs spat him in his face. Carl just smiled.

"And now that you know everything, you will die."

He took the gun and pointed it at Gibbs.

-NCIS-

The car with Tony, Ziva, Jenny and Paula in it stopped in front of Carl Davenworth's current address. Ziva'd driven, so it had only taken five minutes to get there. They approached the front door with their guns drawn, waiting for Tony's sign to go inside.

"Now!" he barked and Ziva kicked the door in. They quickly spread out, searching for the missing team leader. Then they heard a scream.

"It's coming from upstairs," Jenny noticed. They ran to the stairway and made their way up as quickly as possible, praying they wouldn't be too late. It led to a small door.

"Federal Agents!" Tony yelled. They heard a shot. "Put your weapon down!" he yelled again.

No answer.

"Tony," Ziva whispered.

"We're going in," he whispered back.

She nodded and opened the door.

-NCIS-

He decided he was probably delirious from the pain. That he only saw what he wanted to see. Because his team wasn't here at exactly the moment he needed them to? That would be a hell of a coincidence, and he didn't believe in them. And yet it seemed so real, especially when Carl put the gun to his head.

A/N: Cliffhanger, I know. Just thought it was a nice place to stop. I'll update as soon as possible, but don't know how soon that'll be… Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	10. The end

**A/N: **Here it is, the last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me to the end, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

_He decided he was probably delirious from the pain. That he only saw what he wanted to see. Because his team wasn't here at exactly the moment he needed them to? That would be a hell of a coincidence, and he didn't believe in them. And yet it seemed so real, especially when Carl put the gun to his head._

"NCIS! Drop your weapon!" four people yelled as one.

"Back off or I'll shoot him!" Carl yelled, pressing the gun against Gibbs' head. He and Wayne were standing behind Gibbs, using him as a shield.

"If you shoot him, nothing will stand between you and four thoroughly pissed agents," Jenny, the voice of reason said. "You won't shoot him, you'll just threaten."

Carl looked at the pure hatred in her eyes. "Then maybe I need to show you how serious I am." He took the gun off Gibbs' temple, only to press it against his right shoulder and pull the trigger. No one was ready for the scream coming out of Gibbs' mouth.

"No!" Tony yelled. "Stop it!"

Carl and Wayne both started smiling when they saw the despair in the Senior Field Agent. "And now you all know how serious I am," Carl needless said.

Tony looked at Gibbs, trying to assess the extent of his injuries. He really looked terrible, hanging on a hook attached to the wall like that. He wasn't putting pressure on his right ankle at all, so Tony assumed it was broken or otherwise injured. Where Gibbs' shirt was cut, it show extensive bruising on his chest, so there would probably be some rib damage too.

His back showed some huge cuts, probably in the need of several stitches. Add that to the gunshot wound and a concussion from the hit on the head in the alley and it would be weeks rather than days before Gibbs would be back in the field. If he survived at all. It was clear that he was barely holding on to consciousness as it was, eyes shut tight with pain evident everywhere on his too pale face. Blood was still oozing out of the shoulder wound. Something had to be done quickly.

"Boss?" Tony asked without paying notice to Wayne and Carl. "You with us?"

A low moan escaped from Gibbs' mouth. Tony took that as a yes. "We're gonna get you out of here, Boss."

"Hey smartass!" Wayne yelled at Tony. "Do we have to put a bullet in his other shoulder too?"

"Tim…" Gibbs said, barely audible.

"He's fine," Tony answered, understanding what his boss was asking. "Still in the hospital."

Gibbs opened his piercing blue eyes and glared at Ziva. "Left or right?"

Ziva smiled. Gibbs was asking if he had to lean to the left or to the right to give her a clear shot at the two men using him as a shield. "Your right," she answered.

He leaned towards his right despite the pain it caused his broken ankle and before Carl and Wayne noticed what was happening they were laying on the floor, both with a double tap in the head.

Tony and Jenny immediately ran to Gibbs, while Ziva and Paula went to check if the suspects were really dead. Tony grabbed his knife – long live rule #9 – and started cutting through the restraints. Jenny caught Gibbs and carefully lowered him to the ground.

"Ambulance is on its way," Cassidy reported with her cell phone still in her hand.

"You hear that Boss? Everything's gonna be okay," Tony reassured him. He took of his jacket and used it to put pressure on the gunshot wound.

To Gibbs, everything happened in a blur as he was barely holding on to consciousness. But he got the most important things loud and clear. Tim was okay. His team was okay. The bad guys were dead. That was enough for now.

-NCIS-

"…so that's when we figured out Steve Cooper, the father, was the one that shot McGee. Should have seen that before, of course, but he did quite a good job at hiding it. He's still denying everything, but the evidence says enough. There's no way he'll walk. And neither will his son Michael. I mean, they've been running an arms dealing bussiness for almost five years!"

It had been almost a week since the team had stormed into Carl Davenworth's house to save Gibbs just in time. The ambulance had come very quickly and taken Gibbs to the hospital, where he had surgery on both the bullet wound in his right shoulder and the fracture in his arm. Those injuries had been the biggest concern of the doctors, together with the head injury. Luckily that turned out to only be a relatively mild concussion. They'd also set his ankle and stitched up his back. It had taken more than a day for him to get out of the woods and actually wake up, and when he finally did he immediately received a bone-crashing hug from Abby. A few days later he'd been transferred to Tim's room on both men's request, each of them eager to see the other was fine.

And now Tony was giving them a sit-rep on the case. They were sitting up comfortably, propped up against some pillows. Both men had their right arm in a sling and Gibbs' ankle was elevated, showing a white cast. The lines of pain still hadn't disappeared from his face, something that would probably take another few weeks.

"And why did he do that again?" Tim asked, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"You came too close to deciphering the code," Tony explained. "You were a threat."

"Just be glad he did it and not those two maniacs. They've got a better aim," Gibbs said and winced as he moved his injured arm.

"Aiming's not really that difficult when you're four feet away, Boss," Tony grinned, but quickly stopped when he saw the look on his Boss' face. "So when can you get out of here?" he quickly changed the subject.

"They'll let me leave tomorrow," Tim answered.

"Yeah, just rub it in my face, McGee," Gibbs bitterly said.

"He has to stay for another week," Tim added laughing, "and he really isn't too happy about it. But it'll take at least a month before either of us is back, even on desk duty."

Tony's smile died on his face as he remembered how close they came to losing two agents in just as many weeks.

Gibbs seemed to read his mind. "Don't worry, DiNozzo. We _will_ be back."

Tony's smile returned. "I know, Boss. I know."

THE END


End file.
